~*~ Turning a Blind Eye ~*~
Andi had never seen her grandfather so enraged. What had Seth told him? She stood before the elder man now waiting for him to speak, not daring to be so bold as to start the conversation.
Staring at a picture of Andi as a baby, the old man spoke, his voice a controlled calm. "I had so much hope for you, Andrea. You were such a bright and beautiful baby. Now, you disappointment me. You’ve taken the gifts the Creator bestowed upon you and used them for personal pleasures."
In a timid voice, "Grandfather, please…I haven’t done that."
"HUSH!" bellowed the old man turning around angrily.
Andi shrunk back, her eyes focused on the floor. AJ wouldn’t have believed this was the same woman if he could see her now.
"You don’t know how fortunate you are that Seth still wants you as his wife. He’s willing to overlook it all and take you as his wife. The wedding will take place in one month. Your mother will be here within the week to make all the necessary arrangements."
Okay, time to stand up to him. I want Alex, not Seth and the only way I stand a chance is to defend myself. Andi steadied herself and said, "I’m not marrying Seth, Grandfather. I don’t love him."
"And I suppose you love this pop star that you just met?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yes, I do, Grandfather, and his name is Alex."
"How can you love a man you barely know? Isn’t he the one you hit?"
Sheepishly, Andi said, "Yes sir, but he’s…."
"He’s a drug dealing pop star. Has he told you how much you owe for the damages?"
"Yes sir." That’s not a lie. He said I don’t owe him anything, she thought.
"Well, how much? Maybe I can help you out."
"Nothing."
The old man stared at Andi. "Nothing?"
"He told me not to worry about the damages. He has insurance and it’ll fix the car."
Seth spoke up from behind Andi. "She’s paying him back with sexual favors, just like the others. I have proof for this as well."
Taking the pictures Seth magically produced, her grandfather looked at them before handing them to Andi. "Is THIS how you’re repaying him?"
Andi couldn’t believe that she was looking at pictures of her and Alex on the beach. Turning on Seth, she forgot that her grandfather was there and her fury was ignited. "What were you doing, following me?"
"Remember your place, young lady. Seth has a right to know what his wife is doing," admonished her grandfather.
"I’m NOT your WIFE and I NEVER will be," glowered Andi to Seth. Turning back to her grandfather, "It’s NOT what it appears to be. NOTHING happened."
"Not then but when you went back to HIS house, you know you slept with him," replied Seth.
The memory of that day was fresh in Andi’s mind and she didn’t want anything to spoil her first time with a man who truly cared for her but Seth was slowly tarnishing it. "It’s NONE of your business. I told you yesterday, I don’t love you and you can’t force me to love you. Grandfather, please listen to me. It was Seth’s idea for me to sleep with his friends, not mine. He doesn’t love me. He just wants to be chief but he can’t get it without me."
"I can’t trust you, Andrea. Seth has shown me the videos that you and these boys made of your exploits. What were you going to do, sell them? You’ve let the outside world influence you, corrupt you. You’re working at a nightclub and bestowing sexual favors on any man who asks. What are you doing, using this club to find men? I forbid you to see this ‘AJ’ and you WILL quit your job."
"But I have to work, Grandfather," protested Andi. "I have my college loans to pay and this job is the only one with hours that don't conflict with my classes. Please, Grandfather."
Her grandfather knew this was the truth and he’d been so proud of Andi when she’d been accepted to all the finest colleges in the state of Florida. She was the only one to go to college and had even been offered scholarships but she’d chosen to stay in Orlando to be close to her family.
Seth knew this was the old man’s weak spot when it came to Andi and frowned when the old man gave in. "Okay, keep the job."
Andi saw her chance. "Grandfather, you have always taught me to follow my heart. Well, my heart is leading me to Alex…"
Her grandfather cut her off. "NO! You are promised to Seth and my mind is made up. You are to have NO MORE contact with this ‘AJ’."
"You can’t do this, Grandfather," said Andi defiantly. "I’m twenty-one, an adult. I can SEE who I want and I can MARRY who I want."
"As long as you’re in MY family and a member of the tribe, you WILL do what I say."
Her grandfather’s tone left no room for any further argument but the ringing of the phone definitely signaled the end of the conversation. The old man answered it and Andi turned to leave.
"Let me have the cell phone, Andi," demanded Seth stepping in her path.
"When hell freezes over! You think you’ve won but it’s not over yet!!"
"Yes, it is and we will be married. Now give me the cell phone," gloated Seth.
Andi didn’t back down as Seth got in her face but her grandfather said, "Andrea, Howard would like to talk to you."
Without taking his eyes off Seth, she took the phone. "Hey, Howie."
Andi was obviously expecting Howie and was shocked to hear, "Hey, beautiful. I had to hear your voice. You sound mad."
Covering her surprise, she said, "Yeah, I am. What’s up?"
"Is your grandfather still there?"
"Of course."
"Okay. Go with this. Howie’s coming to get you at nine. Tell your grandfather you have to work to cover for someone. Howie’s gonna cover for us so we can talk."
"I don’t know. I told Amy I can’t work when I have an eight o’clock class."
"Please, Andi. I need to see you. I can’t stand being away from you and knowing that you’re upset."
"As long as I can get out of on time."
"Howie will be there to get you, baby. I love you."
"Me too. See you at nine."
As Andi hung up, her grandfather said, "I want Mr. McLean’s cell phone and the ring."
"Why?"
"Because you have no use for them. I will see to it he gets them back."
"NO!"
"Andrea, NOW!" demanded her grandfather. Reluctantly, Andi handed over the things and he said, "Seth will take you to work tonight and wherever you need to go until you get your car back. I want to see your engagement ring on your hand as well."
"FINE!"
With that, Andi stormed off to her room slamming the door behind her. The distinctive sound of the lock clicking shut echoed down the hall. Things had definitely not gone well and she didn’t know what to do.
Meanwhile, Andi’s grandfather looked at Seth. "You had best be sure about this. It’s not like Andi to lie."
"The pictures tell the story, Grandfather," reassured Seth. "I’ll be back to take her to work. I need to do a couple things."
As Seth left, Drew came from the kitchen, "You’re making a mistake trusting him, Grandfather. Andi isn’t like that."
The old man shook his head and looked in the direction of Andi’s room. "I know."
